Collapsible portable hamper



United States Patent COLLAPSIBLE PORTABLE HAMPER Charles E. Murcott, 134 Cabot Road, Massapequa, N.Y.

Filed Dec.'23, 1958, Ser. No. 782,475. 4 Claims; (Cl. 280-41) This invention relates to a hamper-type of device for use in collecting and conveying articles arranged in a bag or other container from place to place, as, for example, in the collection of bedding or laundry in a hotel, hospital or other public institution.

More particularly, the invention deals with a device of the character described employing pivotally coupled frame members having casters or other wheeled supports for convenient movement of the device over a supporting surface and, wherein, the lower portion of the device includes a collapsible railed platform forming the primary support for bags or other receptacles arranged in the device.

Still more particularly, the invention deals with a device of the character described, wherein the upper portions of the frames include U-shaped frame members adjustable vertically on the upper portion of the primary frame members in adapting the device for support of bags or other receptacles of different sizes.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a device in extended position, with the upper portion of the frames broken away and in section and indicating diagrammatically in dot-dash lines the axis of the frames when the device is in collapsed position.

Fig. 2 is a broken section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale and showing one side portionof the device and with parts of the construction shown in elevation; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1 again showing only one side portion of the device. 1

My improved device comprises what may be termed a main frame consisting of two pairs of side frame members, one frame member of each pair being shown at and 11 in Fig. 1 of the drawing and a small portion of the opposed members in each pair being indicated at 10', 11 slightly above the pivot 12 of theframe members, as noted in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

Adjustable upon the upper ends of the members 10, 10 is a U-shaped supplemental frame 13 and acorrespending frame 14 isadjustable 'upon the upper end of the members 11, 11, the members 13 and 14 being shown in section in Fig. 1 of the drawing to clearly illustrate the crossheads 13', 14' of the members 13 and 14. All of the frame members are tubular in form, as will clearly appear, and the upper ends of the members 10, 10; 11, 11' include conventional spring actuated buttons 15 and 16 adapted to operatively engage longitudinal spaced apertures 17 and 18 on the members 13, 14 respectively in controlling the height of the members 13, 14, the members 13, 14 in Fig. 1 of the drawing being shown in their lowermost positions. In this connection,

it will be understood that the upper ends of the members 10 and 11, 10', 11 extend to a position closely adjacent the crossheads 13', 14', when the parts are in the fully collapsed position, as shown in Fig. 1. When the receptacles or containers used in conjunction with the device are in the form of bags, means is provided, at the upper open ends of the bags, for mounting the same upon the crossheads 13', 14 of the frame members with the lower portion of the bags or other receptacles supported upon a collapsible railed or openwork platform 19.

The pivot 12 is in the form of two bolts, one of which is noted in detail in Fig. 3 of the drawing, and arranged on the bolts, intermediate the frames 10 and 11, is a spacer sleeve 20 to maintain the members in predetermined spaced relationship to each other.

The lower ends of the frame members 10, 10'; 11, 11' include angularly offset portions, generally identified by the reference character 21, in conjunction with which rubber tired casters 22 are mounted for free rotary movement in the portions 21 in providing movement of the device in any direction over a supporting surface.

The lower portions of the members 10, 10; 11, 11' are joined and spaced by crossrods 23 and 24, respectively. These rods, in addition to bracing the lower portions of the frame members, also form pivotal supports for the platform 19, the platform comprising two railed or open- 7 work sections 25 and 26, the section 25 comprising side rails, one of which is indicated at 27 in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and these rails have outer ends welded to a disc or washer 28 mounted on the rod 23. The inner end of the rails 27 is welded to another disc or washer 29, which is mounted on a cross-pivot rod 30 which pivotally joins the sections 25 and 26 centrally between the extended lower portions 21 of the main frame members. The side rods 27 of the section 25 are joined by a plurality of crossrods 31 welded to the rods 27, thus forming the openwork or railed section.

The section 26 comprises a U-shaped part, the crosshead of which is indicated, in part, at 32 in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and one of the side rods of the section 26 is indicated at 33. The outer ends of the rods 33 are welded to discs or washers 34 and these members, spaced V with respect to the crosshead 32, are also welded to other discs or washers 35 arranged on the crossrod 30 and adjacent and inwardly of the discs or washers 29. The crosshead portion 32 of the section 26 forms an extension overlying the rods 31 of the section 25 in checking movement of the platform into its fully opened position, as noted in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. At

thesame time, this construction will permit upward collapsing of the platform when the frame members of the 'device are moved into collapsed position.

.-To simplify the illustration, the axis of the members 10, 10'; 11, 11, when the device is in collapsed position, is indicated at 10" and 11" in dot-dash lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing and the position of the rod axis 30 is indicated by the X mark 30' in said figure. It will thus be apparent that, in the collapsed position, the casters 22 are brought into a position overlying one another,

thus producing a relatively narrow fully collapsed positron of the device which facilitates storage thereof and vided between the members 10, 11; 10', 11' and, in order to centralize the platform 19 within the frame members, spacing sleeves 37 and 38 are employed on the rods 23 and 24 between the frames 10, 10' and 11, 11', as clearly 7 noted in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and the platform is further positioned or located by other long sleeves 39 and 40 arranged between the side rails 27, 33 of the sections 25, 26 in the manner diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

In view of the fact that both sides of the frames of the device are of the same construction, the showing of one side portion only thereof in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing is all that is deemed to be necessary for a clear understanding of the structure of the device. In Fig. 1, the casters 22 are illustrated in a position as though the device were in position for movement from right to left, it being understood that the casters rotate freely in the portions 21, which facilitates movement of the device in any direction and, in operation, the crossheads 13', 14 can be utilized as hand rails in movement of the device over a surface. In collapsing the device, all that is necessary is to raise the platform a slight extent, after which, the side members of the frame can be moved from their extended position shown in full lines in Fig. l to the collapsed position diagrammatically illustrated by the dot-dash lines and 11".

It will appear, from a consideration of Fig. 1 of the drawing, that the pivot of the sections 25 and 26 is disposed below the pivots formed by the rods 23 and 24, so as to establish a lock maintaining the main frames in their open or spread position, as noted in Fig. 1, thus in order to collapse the frames, it is necessary to first raise the sections 25 and 26 to dispose the pivot 30 above the pivots 23, 24, after which, the frame members are readily collapsible into the fully collapsed position, diagrammatically illustrated by the dot-dash lines 10", 11".

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising two pairs of pivoted main frames, a one-piece U-shaped supplemental tubular frame mounted on the upper end of each of the main frames and telescoping therewith for adjustment of the supplemental frame in different positions on the main frames, interengaging means on the main and supplemental frames for retaining said supplemental frames in different positions of adjustment, casters rotatably mounted in the lower ends of all of said main frames for free movement of the device over a supporting surface, a platform comprising two openwork sections, each comprising side and crossrods, one section being pivoted to one main frame, the other section being pivoted to the other main frame, and means pivotally coupling adjacent portions of said sections centrally of said frames when in extended position for collapsible mounting within the main frames when the latter are in collapsed position.

2. A device of the character described, comprising two pairs of pivoted main frames, a one-piece U-shaped supplemental tubular frame mounted on the upper end of each of the main frames and telescoping therewith for adjustment of the supplemental frame in different positions on the main frames, interengaging means on the main and supplemental frames for retaining said supplemental frames in different positions of adjustment, casters rotatably mounted in the lower ends of all of said main frames for free movement of the device over a supporting surface, a platform comprising two openwork sections, each comprising side and crossrods, one section being pivoted to one main frame, the other section being pivoted to the other main frame, means pivotally coupling adjacent portions of said sections centrally of said frames when in extended position for, collapsible mounting within the main frames when the latter are in collapsed position, and one of the sections including a U-shaped portion overlying the other section in supporting said sections in substantially horizontal position.

3. A device of the character described comprising two pairs of pivoted main frames, a one-piece U-shaped supplemental tubular frame mounted on the upper end of each of the main frames and telescoping therewith for adjustment of the supplemental frame in different positions on the main frames, interengaging means on the main and supplemental frames for retaining said supplemental frames in different positions of adjustment, casters rotatably mounted in the lower ends of all of said main frames for free movement of the device over a supporting surface, the lower end portions of the main frames including angularly extending portions in which said casters are rotatably mounted, a rod joining and spacing the lower angu larly extending portions of each pair of main frames, a

, platform comprising a pair of openwork sections, each comprising side and crossrods, one section being pivotally mounted on one of said rods, the other section being pivotally mounted on the other of said rods, and means pivotally coupling adjacent portions of said sections centrally of said main frames when in extended position.

4. A device of the character described, comprising two pairs of pivoted main frames, a one-piece U-shaped supplemental tubular frame mounted on the upper end of each of the main frames and telescoping therewith for adjustment of the supplemental frame in different positions on the main frames, intereng aging means on the main and supplemental frames for retaining said supple mental frames in different positions of adjustment, casters rotatably mounted in the lower ends of all of said main frames for free movement of the device over a supporting surface, the lower end portions of the main frames including angularly extending portions in which said casters are rotatably mounted, a rod joining and spacing the lower angularly extending portions of each pair of main frames, 2. platform comprising a pair of openwork sections, one section being pivotally mounted on one of said rods, the other section being pivotally mounted on the other of said rods, means pivotally coupling adjacent portions of said sections centrally of said main frames when in extended position, one of said sections comprising a U-shaped frame having side rails, the other section comprising -a pair of rails, means fixed to the rails of each section for pivotally mounting the same on said rods, other means fixed to said rails at adjacent portions thereof, and

said pivot means comprising a transverse rod mounted in the last named means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 595,386 Hall Dec. 14, 1897 1,625,294 Whitesides Apr. 19, 1927 2,154,800 Zumwinkel Apr. 18, 1939 2,398,863 Sides Apr. 23, 1946 2,462,274 Meyer Feb. 22, 1949 2,467,900 Maine Apr. 19, 1949 2,626,652 Steigler Jan. 27, 1953 2,802,578 Barile Aug. 13, 1957 

